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Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton have defended their handling of the Port Hills fire after Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee criticised the length of time it took to declare a state of emergency.

The two mayors met with Brownlee today and afterward Dalziel defended the handling of the fire, saying she and Broughton had declared the state of emergency to ensure people took it seriously when told to evacuate rather than because of the need for more resources.

"We did that together not because it was needed for any resources to be brought to bear but because it was to give people confidence that when the Police told them they were to evacuate, they were to evacuate: this is an emergency."

She said there were already sufficient resources in place to fight the fire and the state of emergency was called within an hour and a half of the mayors being advised people were being evacuated.

Dalziel said there would be a review of the timing "but not one element of the fire effort that has gone on has been affected by that at all."

Brownlee also criticised the flow of information to him, saying the most accurate information he was getting on the most dangerous day of the fire was through the media. Dalziel admitted there was a breakdown in communication."I am satisfied there is nothing that could have been done or would have been done any differently had we called the state of emergency earlier."

Dalziel said the fire started in Selwyn district. "This was a rural fire that started in a rural district. It was managed by the rural fire services. At the point the fire started in Christchurch it was felt we should work together."

Broughton said Christchurch Fire Service has been involved from the start and no more helicopters could be used in the air space involved.

Brownlee did not want to re-litigate his concerns saying the immediate focus was now on the fire.

However, he said he intended to review changes to disaster management legislation just a year after they were made after concerns about the handling of the Port Hills fires and Kaikoura earthquakes.